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Durell Turner
Human male, born 31 Su'yet, LY 852, in Sorret, to Roslin and Prana. Grand Sorreter and bishop of Sorret, 904-912; Chief Councillor of Sorret, 905-912. Husband of Virtiana Turner; father of Noson Turner. Early childhood Durell (pronounced dû'rĕl) was born in 852, to a chemist named Roslin and an apothecary named Prana, both of whom also worked as masters in their primary fields, as well as devoting extensive study to other fields related to biology and medicine. They were what would now be considered middle class, and very well-respected in their community. Durell himself proved to be a very clever child. He received instruction from his parents, as well as from masters in various other fields of study. Everyone said he was probably the brightest student they'd ever taught. His parents were very proud of him, and instilled in him a sense that he was quite special. For a few years, in his preadolescence, Durell planned on eventually becoming a physician, though like his parents, he expected to continue studying various other fields of interest. However, at the age of 13, he developed an interest in magic, particularly as it intersected with medicine. Over the years, his interest in medicine would wane, to some extent, but the relationship between physiology and magic has always remained a particular talent of his. Apprenticeship & early career Durell began studying to become a Sorreter in LY 865, as an apprentice to then-Grand Sorreter Coman. He soon developed a sense of rivalry with two of Coman's older students, Cirna and Drag. The two of them took no particular interest in Durell, which only served to intensify Durell's dislike of them. (Cirna and Drag had been friendly academic rivals for several years before Durell's apprenticeship began. While Durell would occasionally earn higher marks than either of them, he usually came in third to them.) Cirna graduated to adept status in 868, and Drag in 869. They both became master-adepts just one year later. Durell himself did not become an adept until 878, at the age of 25. (Many years later, after Durell became well-known both within Sorret and throughout the world, there would be speculation that his hatred of Cirna and Drag had been a result of their having unwittingly disproved the "specialness" that had become a core part of his self-image, throughout his childhood.) It was also in 878 that Durell developed a spell called a chakra gauge, to measure the potential of prospective Sorreters. The test demonstrated that a 16-year-old boy named Noson had incredible potential. Durell would have liked to take him on as an apprentice, though of course he couldn't do so, being only an adept at the time. And so, Noson was apprenticed to Drag, which caused Durell to transfer his resentment of Drag onto Noson, as well. On a brighter note, it was also in 878 that Durell married his longtime girlfriend, Virtiana (an apprentice of Cirna's). He had wanted to complete his apprenticeship before taking that step, though Virtiana herself didn't become an adept until two years after their marriage, in 880. Durell became a master-adept in 882. One might think that his now officially being recognized as equal in status to Drag and Cirna would alleviate his hatred of his former rivals, but in fact it only got worse. In 883, less than a year after Durell became a master-adept, Noson abandoned his apprenticeship under Drag. His master, and virtually every other Sorreter who ever met him, could clearly see that Noson had tremendous potential as a Sorreter, but in spite of his best efforts, he never managed to develop his magical abilities beyond the basics. After five frustrating years, he simply couldn't take it any more, and he left Sorret to become an adventurer. That same year, Durell and Virtiana had a child, whom they named Noson. However, no one had any knowledge of Virtiana ever being pregnant (in later years, some would wonder if she'd used a glamour to hide the fact), and no one in the world had any idea that the child existed, until 900. Durell and Virtiana raised him in secret, and trained him as their apprentice, from a very young age. (When his existence was eventually revealed to the world, many wondered why he'd been hidden away all those years, as well as why Durell had named him after someone he reportedly hated.) In 887, Durell was granted a seat on the Council of Magicks. Meanwhile, Drag became Grand Sorreter in 890, the year after Coman died. He also appointed the original Noson as a vice-bishop (the first one in Sorret's history not to be an adept). This, predictably, irritated Durell, though Drag as well as a number of people who knew of Durell's feelings toward Drag thought it strange that he seemed less annoyed at the development than they would have expected. Still, it is believed his annoyance was likely mitigated by the fact that Noson continued his career as a wandering adventurer, spending relatively little time in Sorret to act in his position as vice-bishop. In 888, Durell's father, Prana, died of natural causes, at the age of 66. His mother, Roslin, died in 895, also of natural causes, at the age of 70. (It is unknown whether either of them had ever been introduced to their secret grandson, though it is assumed not.) Coming of the Order Beginning in 899, Durell played an important part in the Coming of the Order (and to a lesser extent, the details of which are unknown, it is presumed that his wife and son did, as well). During the 898 Pilgrimage, Bishop Kizin of Monab, along with his allies in the development of The Plan, explained their ideas to the delegation of spirit-talkers from Sorret. Drag was among those who were openly opposed to the Plan, though Durell was intrigued (and Drag's opposition to the Plan only served to heighten his liking of it). After that year's Pilgrimage, Durell began secretly gathering allies among the Sorreters who were in favor of the Plan. One of these allies was a master-adept named Merv, who came up with the idea of assigning Sorreters to work with gangs (the organization of which was a key element of the Plan Kizin had spoken of; in fact, the planners had always intended for Sorreters to work with gangs, though this was one of the things they didn't tell the delegation from Sorret until some time later). Merv himself become the "First Sorreter" of LandOrder. Some of the Sorreters who joined various gangs remained loyal to Durell, though others saw it as a chance to escape his growing power in Sorret, and merely played along with his game until they felt it was safe to break ties with him. However, not all of Durell's agents among the gangs would be Sorreters. It's impossible to say exactly how many agents (Sorreter or otherwise) he has employed over the years, in gangs as well as various legitimate organizations. It was in 900 that Durell not only introduced his son (now aged 17) to Arch-bishop Talak (the first person aside from Durell and Virtiana to know of his existence), but also told the Arch-bishop and Bishop Kizin of his efforts thus far on behalf of the Plan. In addition to having already assigned Sorreters to join gangs, he now suggested sending Sorreters to live in other villages to offer their magical services to vastly increase the speed of communication between villages, among other things, and even to begin selling spell devices to the general public. (At this point, Kizin told Durell it had been predicted as part of the Plan that at least one Sorreter would take the actions he had taken; this irritated Durell somewhat, being used as an unwitting pawn. However, he quickly got past it, because he himself was using the Plan as a tool for his own reasons.) It was at this point that Durell was officially appointed by Talak as the leader of the pro-Plan Sorreters, a fact that had been in some question. He had not been the only Sorreter gathering allies since the 898 Pilgrimage; the other was Cirna. However, because (aside from gathering supporters) she waited for the Planners to provide details of Sorret's part in the Plan, while Durell was proactive, it was Durell who became the leader of the pro-Plan Sorreters. This fact greatly irritated Cirna, but there was nothing she could do about it. In spite of her disdain for Durell (who was much younger and, she believed, much less skilled as a Sorreter), she was loyal to Arch-bishop Talak, and her support of the Plan was sincere. So, she had no choice but to accept Durell as her superior, and to add her followers to his. (It has been speculated that Durell would have preferred for Cirna to have taken Drag's anti-Plan position, but if such was the case, he never showed it. He always acted remarkably graciously toward her, during the Coming, though it is generally believed that that was easy for him, because of a well-hidden smugness regarding the reversal of their power dynamic.) Perhaps Durell's most important contribution to the Plan came in 901, when he secretly located and contacted the Elves, and he (along with future king Demos) was instrumental in convincing them to join the impending war on the side of The Order. In 902, Bishop Therman of Plist started the Protestant Movement, which Drag and his followers soon joined. All this was foreseen by the Plan, of course (though it was another thing the planners hadn't told the Sorret delegation in 898). Durell was quite certain the Protestants would lose the upcoming war, which he saw as his great chance to finally eliminate Drag, and become Grand Sorreter himself. In 903, Drag attempted to contact the Elves in the hopes of enlisting their aid on the side of the Protestants, but his efforts to locate them were unsuccessful. Meanwhile, Durell's Sorreters staged an attack on the Protestant forces in Plist (at the Battle of Plist), killing many (including Therman). The survivors fled to Triscot. Not long after that, on 31 Su'yet (Durell's birthday), a group of elven sorcerers suddenly translocated into the midst of the Protestant stronghold there, and Drag was shocked to learn that Durell had contacted them two years earlier. It was Elf Chief Castor Des'Eller who informed Drag that vice-bishop Durell had assumed the title of bishop pro tem of Sorret, under the auspices of Talak, who had excommunicated Drag. Des'Eller also announced that the elves were joining the war on the side of the Order, and killed many Protestant Sorreters and soldiers that day (this became known as the Battle of Elves' Ambush). A few months later, on 9 Aut'yet, the Battle of Triscot occurred, on the estate of Adam of Triscot. Drag and his allies were beaten by Durell's Sorreters during the course of the battle (as were the Protestant army by the Order's army). It's not clear exactly what gave Durell's side the magical advantage; in spite of the Protestants' recent losses, their forces were still fairly strong. There was later some speculation that their defeat was caused in large part because of Durell's son, Noson (while the first Noson was otherwise engaged on the battlefield). However, it was on that day that all the Protestant Sorreters in the world simultaneously vanished, to an unknown location, and were not seen again until 912. The Battle of Triscot is considered the last major battle of the war. A year later, on 8 Su'yet, 904, the first elections were held. Durell was voted Chief Councillor of Sorret. At this point he officially assumed the titles of bishop and Grand Sorreter; he assumed his office as Chief Councillor on 8 Win'yet, 905. (While it is traditional to require candidates for the position of Grand Sorreter to demonstrate before the Council of Magicks an advanced spell they themselves developed, what spell Durell used as a qualifier has never been made a matter of public record.) When the surname law was passed in 904, Durell and Virtiana chose the name "Turner," though the significance of the name has never been explained. It was after Durell became Grand Sorreter in 904 that his son's existence became common knowledge; in the next election, Noson Turner became a village councillor. Current status Durell remained in his three positions in Sorret until Su'yet of 912, when it was discovered he was not only in violation of the law of Separation of Church and State, but also guilty of the murder of Kizin Planner in early 910. These discoveries led to his excommunication and impeachment. He is currently wanted by InterVil; his whereabouts, as well as those of his wife and son, are unknown at this time. Durell was succeeded as Grand Sorreter by Cirna Mastera. Apprentices This is a far from complete list of the apprentices Durell has had over the years. *Noson Turner (app. 880s-903; speculation) *Nicolai Blitz (app. 882-892) *Zeke Sanguine (app. 888-899) *Ford Inspector (adept 889-895) *René Deadzone (app. 890-900) See also *List of Grand Sorreters Category:People